Studies of stress and stress related illnesses consistently
show that any situation is made much worse by a sense of
powerlessness. Indeed despite everything you hear about
how stressful management is, janitors suffer more
stress-related illnesses.

One amusing early study on this was involved two rats in
two cages. Both were hooked up to a wire which would
deliver shocks to both. One had a lever that would turn
off the shock, the other had no recourse. Guess which one
wound up a nervous wreck? IIRC, when random shocks were
delivered, the situation got even worse. Apparently
predictable misery (eg Monday) is less stressful than not
knowing where and when your next blow is coming from.
(An amusing side note. Random reinforcement also turns
out to be very effective. Consider this the next time you
see a gambler at the slot machines...)

For what little it is worth, my adult life has been far
more enjoyable than my childhood was. Strangely enough
being an adult and getting paid for my life-long love of
learning is far more enjoyable than getting bullied for the
same. Being a 6'3" man is much nicer than being
a scrawny kid.